Doug Shaeffer Astrocade Collection
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Doug Shaeffer is an amateur Astrocade programmer. He sold his collection on eBay in January 2022, including a system, cartridges, 300 baud interface, and this set of tapes. The auction description said:
"Bally Professional Arcade Console, 2 controllers, 5 games, + Bally Basic.
I'm the original owner and I purchased this around 1982. I haven't tested it but it worked when I put it in storage in 1994.
Learned to write basic code on this, several games on cassette tape.
Original sales brochure and owners manual as well as game brochures."
Archived listing: https://web.archive.org/web/20220220230823/https://www.ebay.com/itm/393870190092?hash=item5bb47e260c%3Ag%3A2zcAAOSwReVh36S5&nma=true&si=PT6jfZuff964qDcTnpePHr4y7K4%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
In response to an inquiry about the tapes, he said:
"The games I have on cassette are from a newsletter I use to get, here are the names of the games:
Checkers II
Attack
tic-tac-toe
boxes
Pong
Micro-Treck
Bangman
Artillery Duel
Camel
Wumpus
The Black Hole
Mars Lander
Slot Machine
Hangman
Black Box
Awari
2000AD
Bowl-A-Rama
Mastermind
Star Wars
Cross Country Racer
Bagels
Hamurabi
Life Synthesis
Amazed in Space
Simon
Slot Machine II"
The tapes ended up being as mix of programs from the Arcadian and Cursor newsletters (often with some amount of modification) and Doug's own original programs, which were previously completely unknown. All of the Astrocade tapes are for the original version of Bally BASIC that used the 300 baud external interface. They can be loaded with :INPUT
Included are scans of the tapes, raw recordings (which may not load), and digitally processed recordings that should load correctly.
Archiving notes--
Cross Country Racer (198x)(Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Original program as far I can tell. Use joystick to steer left or right and try not to go off the road. Seems unfinished.
Star Wars (198x)(Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Original program as far as I can tell--not related to Star Wars by Scott Waldinger. Two players. Use joystick to steer and trigger to fire. Seems unfinished.
Mars Lander (198x)(Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Based on Lunar Lander from the Bally BASIC Program Sampler tape, but with significant enhancements.
Slot Machine (mod) (198x)(Ernie Sams and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in from The Arcadian.
Awari [crossed out] - Side 2 of Pong tape. No data.
Pong (198x)(Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - I fixed a few archiving errors, removing what seems to be extra characters from noise on line 17 and before line 150, and fixing the line number of 170. Before corrections, these read:
17 box 0,0,140,73,1;box {-1}0,0,136,69,2
{-1} 150 X=X+A+C;goto 20
1{-98}0 Y=Y+B+D;goto 20
The program seems unfinished, as there are no paddles or interactivity. It just has a ball bouncing around within a large box.
Awari (198x)(Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - This is an implementation of this board game:
https://www.chessprogramming.org/Awari
I'm not aware of any other versions of this for the Astrocade.
2000 AD (mod) (198x)(Ed Larkin and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in from The Arcadian.
Bowl-A-Rama (mod) (198x)(Bob Hensel and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in from The Arcadian. The data on the tape is followed by a low quality recording of "The Thin Ice" and "Another Brick In The Wall, Pt. 1" from The Wall by Pink Floyd.
Mastermind (mod) (198x)(Carol Burkemper and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in from The Arcadian. The tape was mislabeled "Mastermine".
Camel - No meaningful changes from previously archived version.
aMAZEd in SPACE (mod) (198x)(Aquila, Richard Houser, and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in from The Arcadian.
Artillery Duel (mod) (198x)(John Perkins and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has very small changes to John Perkins' program from The Arcadian. It adds lines 1 and 2 with just a period. This prevents the program from running as it runs out of memory. Line 180 is slightly different than what was printed in The Arcadian. Arcadian version:
180 for N=1to 11;box @(P+1),@(P+2)+1,3,1,3;next N;NT=1
Doug Shaeffer version:
180 for N=1to 11;box @(P+1),@(P+2),3,1,3;next N;NT=1
I assume this was unintentional, as the result is that player 2 fires automatically. I'll include it as found on the tape for the sake of completeness.
Rocket Loader (1980)(Craig J. Anderson)(300 baud) - Found on unlabeled reverse side of Artillery Duel tape. From Cursor Volume 1, Issue 4, page 27. This had no changes from the newsletter, but hadn't been digitally archived before. To get the timing correct, I separately processed the loader program and graphic data, then combined them into a single .wav file.
Attack (mod) (198x)(Carl Morimoto and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in from The Arcadian.
Bagels (mod) (198x)(Carl Morimoto and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - From The Arcadian, but not previously archived in 300 baud format. Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in from The Arcadian.
Bangman (mod) (198x)(Ernie Sams and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in The Arcadian.
Boxes (198x)(Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Not related to Boxes by Dieter Heinerman. This is a version of the Dots And Boxes pen and paper game. While there are other Astrocade versions of that game (Dot-to-Dot and Claim Jumpers), as far as I can tell this version is original.
Slot Machine II - This is actually Slot Machine by Bob Mueller. This recording had more noise than most of them, but it doesn't appear to have any significant changes compared to the version printed in The Arcadian.
Checkers II (mod) (198x)(John Collins and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in The Arcadian.
Hamurabi (mod) (198x)(Richard Houser and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in The Arcadian.
Hangman (mod) (198x)(Carl Morimoto and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in The Arcadian.
Life Synthesis Model (1980)(Fred Cornett)(300 baud) - This program hadn't previously been digitally archived. When processed, line 55 was:
55 if L=0if Mif O H=30;I=goto 61
In Cursor, this is:
55 if L=0if Mif O H=30;I=0;goto 61
This may be a dropout on the tape or a typo, but I've restored the Cursor version.
This appears identical to the Cursor program aside from the command:
:return ;TV=13;NT=3;run
After this program the tape has lines 1640-3030 of the original Checkers by John Collins. The only difference is line 3030, with Doug Shaeffer's version as:
3030 BC=95;FC=0;return
The Arcadian had:
3030 BC=7;FC=146;return
As this is incomplete, I'm not including a processed version of this Checkers mod.
Mastermind (mod) (198x)(Carol Burkemper and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud)[a] - The tape was labeled Mastermind with the word crossed out. Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in The Arcadian, also slightly different than the other mod from this collection.
Microtrek (mod) (198x)(Bill Andrus and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in The Arcadian.
Simon (mod) (198x)(Brett Bilbrey, Joe Borello, and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud)[b] - Has several changes compared to the version printed in The Arcadian. The tape had a full copy of the program, followed by the end of another copy (lines 155-4000). There is some noise in the incomplete copy, but I don't see any real differences between the two. In the full copy, lines 70-140 are extremely noisy. I had to use the Arcadian code for those lines to get a complete program, which means some of Doug's modifications may be lost. It always stopped for me when it tried to start a sequence of four. I don't know if the modifications never worked correctly or if the repair of lines 70-140 was missing something essential. As such, I've marked it as a bad dump.
Black Box (mod) (198x)(B. Reany and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in The Arcadian. The tape was labeled "Sound Graph-Black Box", but only had code for Black Box.
Black Hole (mod) (198x)(Ron Picardi and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in The Arcadian.
Tic-Tac-Toe (198x)(Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Original program as far as I can tell--not related to the versions by W&W Software, Scott Waldinger, or E. Schoo.
Wumpus (mod) (198x)(Chris Pruitt, Robert Leake, and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in Cursor. The end of line 60 and the entirety of line 70 were extremely noisy. I repaired them using the Cursor code, but cannot guarantee this didn't miss any modifications.
"Bally Professional Arcade Console, 2 controllers, 5 games, + Bally Basic.
I'm the original owner and I purchased this around 1982. I haven't tested it but it worked when I put it in storage in 1994.
Learned to write basic code on this, several games on cassette tape.
Original sales brochure and owners manual as well as game brochures."
Archived listing: https://web.archive.org/web/20220220230823/https://www.ebay.com/itm/393870190092?hash=item5bb47e260c%3Ag%3A2zcAAOSwReVh36S5&nma=true&si=PT6jfZuff964qDcTnpePHr4y7K4%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
In response to an inquiry about the tapes, he said:
"The games I have on cassette are from a newsletter I use to get, here are the names of the games:
Checkers II
Attack
tic-tac-toe
boxes
Pong
Micro-Treck
Bangman
Artillery Duel
Camel
Wumpus
The Black Hole
Mars Lander
Slot Machine
Hangman
Black Box
Awari
2000AD
Bowl-A-Rama
Mastermind
Star Wars
Cross Country Racer
Bagels
Hamurabi
Life Synthesis
Amazed in Space
Simon
Slot Machine II"
The tapes ended up being as mix of programs from the Arcadian and Cursor newsletters (often with some amount of modification) and Doug's own original programs, which were previously completely unknown. All of the Astrocade tapes are for the original version of Bally BASIC that used the 300 baud external interface. They can be loaded with :INPUT
Included are scans of the tapes, raw recordings (which may not load), and digitally processed recordings that should load correctly.
Archiving notes--
Cross Country Racer (198x)(Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Original program as far I can tell. Use joystick to steer left or right and try not to go off the road. Seems unfinished.
Star Wars (198x)(Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Original program as far as I can tell--not related to Star Wars by Scott Waldinger. Two players. Use joystick to steer and trigger to fire. Seems unfinished.
Mars Lander (198x)(Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Based on Lunar Lander from the Bally BASIC Program Sampler tape, but with significant enhancements.
Slot Machine (mod) (198x)(Ernie Sams and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in from The Arcadian.
Awari [crossed out] - Side 2 of Pong tape. No data.
Pong (198x)(Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - I fixed a few archiving errors, removing what seems to be extra characters from noise on line 17 and before line 150, and fixing the line number of 170. Before corrections, these read:
17 box 0,0,140,73,1;box {-1}0,0,136,69,2
{-1} 150 X=X+A+C;goto 20
1{-98}0 Y=Y+B+D;goto 20
The program seems unfinished, as there are no paddles or interactivity. It just has a ball bouncing around within a large box.
Awari (198x)(Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - This is an implementation of this board game:
https://www.chessprogramming.org/Awari
I'm not aware of any other versions of this for the Astrocade.
2000 AD (mod) (198x)(Ed Larkin and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in from The Arcadian.
Bowl-A-Rama (mod) (198x)(Bob Hensel and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in from The Arcadian. The data on the tape is followed by a low quality recording of "The Thin Ice" and "Another Brick In The Wall, Pt. 1" from The Wall by Pink Floyd.
Mastermind (mod) (198x)(Carol Burkemper and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in from The Arcadian. The tape was mislabeled "Mastermine".
Camel - No meaningful changes from previously archived version.
aMAZEd in SPACE (mod) (198x)(Aquila, Richard Houser, and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in from The Arcadian.
Artillery Duel (mod) (198x)(John Perkins and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has very small changes to John Perkins' program from The Arcadian. It adds lines 1 and 2 with just a period. This prevents the program from running as it runs out of memory. Line 180 is slightly different than what was printed in The Arcadian. Arcadian version:
180 for N=1to 11;box @(P+1),@(P+2)+1,3,1,3;next N;NT=1
Doug Shaeffer version:
180 for N=1to 11;box @(P+1),@(P+2),3,1,3;next N;NT=1
I assume this was unintentional, as the result is that player 2 fires automatically. I'll include it as found on the tape for the sake of completeness.
Rocket Loader (1980)(Craig J. Anderson)(300 baud) - Found on unlabeled reverse side of Artillery Duel tape. From Cursor Volume 1, Issue 4, page 27. This had no changes from the newsletter, but hadn't been digitally archived before. To get the timing correct, I separately processed the loader program and graphic data, then combined them into a single .wav file.
Attack (mod) (198x)(Carl Morimoto and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in from The Arcadian.
Bagels (mod) (198x)(Carl Morimoto and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - From The Arcadian, but not previously archived in 300 baud format. Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in from The Arcadian.
Bangman (mod) (198x)(Ernie Sams and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in The Arcadian.
Boxes (198x)(Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Not related to Boxes by Dieter Heinerman. This is a version of the Dots And Boxes pen and paper game. While there are other Astrocade versions of that game (Dot-to-Dot and Claim Jumpers), as far as I can tell this version is original.
Slot Machine II - This is actually Slot Machine by Bob Mueller. This recording had more noise than most of them, but it doesn't appear to have any significant changes compared to the version printed in The Arcadian.
Checkers II (mod) (198x)(John Collins and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in The Arcadian.
Hamurabi (mod) (198x)(Richard Houser and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in The Arcadian.
Hangman (mod) (198x)(Carl Morimoto and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in The Arcadian.
Life Synthesis Model (1980)(Fred Cornett)(300 baud) - This program hadn't previously been digitally archived. When processed, line 55 was:
55 if L=0if Mif O H=30;I=goto 61
In Cursor, this is:
55 if L=0if Mif O H=30;I=0;goto 61
This may be a dropout on the tape or a typo, but I've restored the Cursor version.
This appears identical to the Cursor program aside from the command:
:return ;TV=13;NT=3;run
After this program the tape has lines 1640-3030 of the original Checkers by John Collins. The only difference is line 3030, with Doug Shaeffer's version as:
3030 BC=95;FC=0;return
The Arcadian had:
3030 BC=7;FC=146;return
As this is incomplete, I'm not including a processed version of this Checkers mod.
Mastermind (mod) (198x)(Carol Burkemper and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud)[a] - The tape was labeled Mastermind with the word crossed out. Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in The Arcadian, also slightly different than the other mod from this collection.
Microtrek (mod) (198x)(Bill Andrus and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in The Arcadian.
Simon (mod) (198x)(Brett Bilbrey, Joe Borello, and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud)[b] - Has several changes compared to the version printed in The Arcadian. The tape had a full copy of the program, followed by the end of another copy (lines 155-4000). There is some noise in the incomplete copy, but I don't see any real differences between the two. In the full copy, lines 70-140 are extremely noisy. I had to use the Arcadian code for those lines to get a complete program, which means some of Doug's modifications may be lost. It always stopped for me when it tried to start a sequence of four. I don't know if the modifications never worked correctly or if the repair of lines 70-140 was missing something essential. As such, I've marked it as a bad dump.
Black Box (mod) (198x)(B. Reany and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in The Arcadian. The tape was labeled "Sound Graph-Black Box", but only had code for Black Box.
Black Hole (mod) (198x)(Ron Picardi and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in The Arcadian.
Tic-Tac-Toe (198x)(Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Original program as far as I can tell--not related to the versions by W&W Software, Scott Waldinger, or E. Schoo.
Wumpus (mod) (198x)(Chris Pruitt, Robert Leake, and Doug Shaeffer)(300 baud) - Has a few minor changes compared to the version printed in Cursor. The end of line 60 and the entirety of line 70 were extremely noisy. I repaired them using the Cursor code, but cannot guarantee this didn't miss any modifications.
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